The Eagles brought back safety Phillip Thomas and signed him to their practice squad and released defensive tackle Frank Trotter.

In need of safety depth with the injury to Nate Allen, the Eagles added Thomas, who was with the team during training camp and the preseason. The undrafted rookie out of Syracuse shined during parts of the preseason, particularly in the second half of the Cleveland game.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Thomas has been on the street since the Eagles cut him just before they narrowed their roster down to 53 before the season opener.

Trotter was expendable when Mike Patterson came off the Non-Football Injury list last week, but returned hours later when offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde was signed to the 53-man roster off the practice squad.

Allen did not play Monday night against the Saints because of a hamstring injury. He was a game-time decision. David Sims filled in.

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In other news, the Eagles are expecting bad news when they get results from the CT scan of Todd Herremans' injured right foot.

Herremans will likely be placed on season-ending Injured Reserve and the Eagles will be forced to make a roster move. They are expected to promote either Matt Reynolds or Julian Vandervelde off the practice squad. If not, they could try to pick up a free agent off the street.

When Herremans went down Monday night in New Orleans, Demetress Bell replaced him at right tackle. Bell had his struggles, but Andy Reid said on Tuesday that he would remain at that position for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Reid could switch King Dunlap from left tackle to right tackle to protect quarterback Michael Vick's blindside. Dunlap has more experience on the right side.